Baked Black Bean and Sweet Potato Flautas

These cheesy Baked Black Bean and Sweet Potato Flautas are one of my most popular recipes ever, and for good reason too!

I went full-on neurotic with this recipe. I tested. And tested. And tested some more.

Poor me right? I had to eat all those delicious flautas. The horror.

Each time they tasted great, but I’m a bit ruthless. I wanted them to be downright irresistable.

It’s about time that veggies take center stage in a dish, and not just be an after-thought, slapped on our plates like a pile of sad peas. Not that peas are sad, but when you spend hours slaving over a main course only to microwave a small pouch of buttered peas and pour them next to your masterpiece of a main dish…well, that’s kind of sad. Veggies need love too! So, as always, I’m here to give vegetables first billing. Followed by cheese, glorious cheese.

DIP IT!

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 425F.

Poke a few holes in your sweet potato, wrap it in a slightly damp paper towel, and microwave on high for about 6-8 minutes. The paper towel trick keeps the potato moist

While you wait, combine corn, diced or minced peppers, and diced or minced onion with your black beans, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, cilantro, cayenne, and taco sauce/salsa. If you prefer very tender veggies, feel free to saute the vegetables first in a little butter or oil to tenderize. Your cayenne and red pepper flakes will control the spice-factor; adjust those to taste. I alternate between using my favorite flavorful red enchilada sauce, spicy taco sauce, and a natural, zesty salsa like Mrs. Renfros Green Salsa, all have produced delicious results!

Once your sweet potato is cooked, fluff the inside with a fork and add the flesh [minus the skin] to the rest of your veggies and mix thoroughly.

Add salt, pepper, and any additional seasoning to taste. I usually add a little extra sprinkle chili powder, cumin, and garlic!

Next, working in small batches of maybe 3-4 tortillas, wrap corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Follow it up with an additional 30 seconds, if needed. The goal here is to steam the tortillas so they roll into perfect flautas without breaking or cracking =) This trick works like a charm!

Immediately spray or rub one side each tortilla with oil and add "line" of veggie filling to the center of the "dry side" of each tortilla, about 1-inch thick.

Top it off with a layer of cheese [as much or as little as you want! if you're using cream cheese as well you can mix it into the shredded cheese before topping] and roll the tortilla.

Give them one more teeny spritz of olive oil to get them extra crispy [no-frying! whoo!] and set the rack baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. The wire rack elevates the flautas and allows them to get nice and crispy on both sides. If you don't own a wire rack, simply place the flautas on aluminum foil after spraying and turn over halfway through cooking so both sides will get a chance to crisp up. Uber easy!

Bake on the middle rack, at 425F, for 15 minutes.

At the end, set to broil on HIGH for just under a minute to crisp the tortillas into a perfectly golden, crunchy shell.

Pile high with any + all veggies you have on hand and serve with plain greek yogurt, salsa, and guacamole for dipping! You can even whip up a small bowl of jalapeno ranch for dunking too! If you have any fresh lime or cilantro both will make a tasty garnish!

No corn tortillas? No problem! Traditional flautas are made with flour tortillas, so feel free to use those as well! Any way you roll them, they’re delicious!

my secret weapon:

I use my Nonstick Wire Cooling Rack to help the flautas bake themselves to crispy perfection. Elevating the tortillas allows them to get uber crispy on each side, without me having to stick half my body into the oven to flip them. Considering I’m borderline the clumsiest person every, these cooling racks are a lifesaver! I suppose they also come in handy for baking too.

so . . . how are they?!

Amazing! These baked flautas were crispy, crunchy, cheesy, and savory with a hint of sweetness from the potatoes! Stick a fork in me – I’m done!

(please don’t actually stab me with a fork!)

These feisty flautas are ridiculously yummy! I love them. Paul loves them. We won’t share… So make your own! <3

Whip up these easy cheesy baked black bean and sweet potato flautas as tasty game-day snack or a festive alternative to taco night! They’re great with pretty much everything… especially guacamole and a hearty veggie salad.

Do it!

Savory sweet potatoes FTW!

If you get a chance to try these Baked Black Bean and Sweet Potato Flautas, let me know!

You can leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!

Van Sawyer

Courtney Lynn Farmer

My husband and I devoured these. Thank you for the great instructions and notes about alternate versions of this recipe –I had searched for butternut floutas and really appreciated your notes. A new house favorite, this was enjoyable to read and to eat!

AD

Amazing, my daughter who is not a fan of trying new foods, at first told me she would not eat them and then ate 4 and asked when we were making them again!!! Big hit, I did add an extra pinch of garlic and cumin and they were delicious. Easy work week meal.

Lauren

Can you make these and freeze them for another time? How would you do that? Thinking of making these for a friend of mine that is a new Mom! Want to give her a meal she will love that she just has to heat up! Thank you!

Lauren you are so sweet! Yes they’d be great new mama food and they freeze wonderfully! They can be popped in the oven or toaster oven and baked from frozen!

When I plan on freezing them, I like to partially bake mine for a just a few minutes to “set” them, allow them to cool, and then freeze spaced on a plate or baking sheet. Once frozen I pile them into a baggie for easy freezer storage. If using flour tortillas you could probably freeze without the partial bake time first — I feel like the corn tortillas do best with that mini-bake before freezing.

To cook frozen flautas: Pre-heat oven to 400ºF. Place frozen flautas 1″ apart on baking sheet with low sides or on a wire baking sheet placed atop a baking sheet per the post instructions above place uncovered in center of oven. Bake frozen for 15-17 minutes until melty + crispy, turning halfway through for even crisping.

Amanda

These are SO Good!! I sautéed the veggies together and melted the cream cheese right into that mix. Rolled in flour tortillas with shredded cheese, and baked for exactly 15 minutes. PERFECT! Thanks so much for an easy, tasty way to get veggies in. The proportions in this recipe are perfect, don’t change a thing! : )

Fran C

LOVE these! I’ve made them several times. I sautee the veggies and I mix in the cream cheese to the sweet potato veggie mixture and then just roll it all together in the microwaved torts! My company loved this and asked for the recipe!

Bonnie

Jen

Could this recipe be any easier? Seriously?!? This recipe is full of flavor and short on work. It is incredibly flavorful and freezes well prior to baking. Another healthy freezer meal courtesy of Peas and Crayons! Thank you!

Shauna

My favorite meal! I can’t believe I haven’t written a comment on this recipe before, but it is probably because I printed it out long ago to have on hand because I make them so often. These have been a hit at many get togethers. I love that I can make up the mixture in 20 or so minutes and have leftovers to bake throughout the next couple of days. I use a larger sweet potato, half a red pepper, half a green pepper, and a full can of both black beans and corn. It makes so many! I love the crunch of the corn tortillas mixed with the melty cheese and potato-y goodness. SO SO SO GOOD! I will never stop making these.

Lisa

Eryn

OKAY FOLKS! These are good! I was surprised the tortilla shells were able to get nice and crispy! They are filing and very flavorful! I will definitely make these again. These are great for meal prep as well!

Stacy

I typically bake mine for a just a few minutes to “set” them, allow them to cool, and then freeze spaced on a plate or baking sheet. Once frozen I pile them into a baggie for later. If using flour tortillas you could probably freeze without the partial bake time first — I feel like the corn tortillas do best with that mini-bake before freezing.

To cook frozen flautas:

Pre-heat oven to 400ºF. Place frozen flautas 1″ apart on baking sheet with low sides or on a wire baking sheet placed atop a baking sheet per the post instructions above place uncovered in center of oven. Bake frozen for 15-17 minutes until melty + crispy, turning halfway through for even crisping.

Tisa

Hello,

Thanks for the great recipe. I have ventured off into the pescatarian/vegetarian world and have been searching for delicious recipes like this. I would definitely be checking out other recipes on your blog.

Jessica

These were FABULOUS!! I made them last night and brought them to work for lunch today – everyone I eat with tried a bite and asked for the recipe! Delicious dunked in pico and guacamole 🙂 Thank you for the wonderful recipe – it’s a keeper!

Maile

OHemgeee!! Girl you r a genius. I made these the other night subbing most of the sour crm for plain Greek yogurt & doubling the taco sauce… It was an instant hit! Even my dad who won’t eat veggies & loves his processed foods loved this one. ? Topped with a little sour crm & a whole lot of salsa. ? Thank you for sharing !! This is now a staple in this house?

Jessica Hapak

I’m making this tonight! I’m going to toss in a some shredded chicken, just to make it even more filling! I love sour cream with my Mexican food but I’m gonna mix it half with plain Greek yogurt, half with sour cream, and toss in some cilantros and lime juice. I’m excited to use my wire rack for cooking instead of cookies!

Delina

I made these a couple days ago for the first time and my husband was over the moon for them! Absolutely loved them and so did the rest of the family. It was tasty and easy to make which are winners all around! It will definitely be a regular meal in our house now.

Donna

Becky

I made these tonight and really loved them! I had enough filling for 12 and my family ate every last one! The tortillas were perfectly crisp and the filling had a nice savory sweet flavor with a touch of spice. We dipped them in sour cream. Thanks for the recipe :).

Made these last night for dinner! Really enjoyed them topped with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, low-fat sour cream and salsa! My oven runs hot so I just had to lower the temperature so the edges of my flautas wouldn’t burn. Great recipe!

Heather

SO delicious! I used kidney beans cut in half instead of black beans because there was none at the store I went to. Used mozzarella cheese grated with cream cheese. Threw in some jalapenos to the veggie mix too. SO DELICIOUS. My fiance is super picky and he only stopped eating them because he couldn’t fit anymore in! Love it. Thanks for the recipe! The tortillas in the micro worked great and oil on one side of them worked to toast them up nice and crispy!

Emily

Jenn

Super excited y’all tried and loved them! Hooray for getting the hubs on board! Mine is ridiculously picky as well so anytime I can get his approval on a recipe it’s like the best day ever! Thanks so much Emily! <3

We tried these today, and yum! My husband doesn’t like black beans (he reminds me of this whenever I try to make something with them) and he ate three while watching the football game – then three more for dinner. My 7-year old ate two for dinner without stopping! Of course, I put in more filling than you did, so they were more like mini burritos than tacos, but still quite tasty. Next time I’ll control myself and get them the right size.

HealthHappy

Jenn

HealthHappy

These were divine! We only had six corn tortillas, so I saved the extra filling for tomorrow to use in some whole wheat burritos. I used salsa verde that I had left over from the black bean soup recipe (another fave), ancho chili powder, Southwest Blend frozen corn, and some nondairy jalapeño Jack style cheese, and served them on a platter covered with sliced romaine and diced tomatoes and added some chunky style salsa on the side for dipping. My husband ate four of them! Very easy and VERY tasty. Loved the crispiness of the tortillas. My husband asked what I did to them to give them a little bit of a sweet taste. Can’t wait to make these again!

Jessica

I’m attempted these bad boys right now for tomorrow! Cooked my black beans in the crock pot today. Sweet potato is in the oven…I must be the only person in the world who refuses to get a microwave 🙂 really excited about this recipe

Jenn

Haha yay!!! Hope you loooooooove them! I was anti-microwave for ages and didn’t cave until our first big kid house came with one and I fell victim to the convenience! Nothing beats oven baked though! <3 go you!

Amie

ahhh gotcha! Sorry about that! I tend to like the texture of slightly al-dente vegetables but realize everyone has different tastes! I’ll update the post for you an add that in as a note. Thanks for the feedback!

Emily Phillips

Samantha

I made these for my very picky (and strictly organic) 19 month old and they were a hit! I should add my husband and MIL loved them also. I omitted the cayenne pepper, used mild green chilies with regular sweet corn in place of the fiesta corn and sautéed the onions before adding them. I also didn’t use cream cheese.

Janette Lynne

aml

I made these and they didn’t come out so good. The onion and peppers did not cook all the way through; not even close. I turned my oven down to be able to bake them longer because of this, but the tortillas got crispy way too fast at 425. I recommend sautéing the peppers and onions a bit before combining everything. And specifying how to cut all the vegetables would definitely help (e.g. peppers and sweet potato).

Crystal

A

Emily

I happened upon this recipe on Yumprint. I marked it because we wanted sweet potato burritos for dinner. I didn’t actually plan to follow your recipe. Until I read your preview and I had to try it. What a great success!! It was delightful. For the first time in forever everybody loved it. Let me say it again, EVERYBODY LOVED IT!!! Thank you for posting and for perfecting. You made my day. Its our new family favorite.

This was absolutely delicious! One of my 3 1/2 year olds gobbled his up, the other one ate five bites (which is a lot for her since I didn’t add any meat to it). Even my meat & cheese loving husband, liked these (and that says a lot)! I know it’s not vegetarian this way, but for breakfast I fried an egg and served it on top of one of the left-overs. Yum. Thank you so much for a healthy and delicious recipe.

Trish

It’ll work any which way! You can mix it in with the potatoes or even with the shredded cheese. It’ll all melt down together so whichever method works best for you should be perfect =) Hope you love them!